Teen accused of torturing sheep is charged as adult

A teenage boy suspected of vandalizing Lake Weir Middle School and torturing a sheep there has been charged as an adult.

By Austin L. MillerStaff writer

A teenage boy suspected of vandalizing Lake Weir Middle School and torturing a sheep there has been charged as an adult.

Jacob McClain, 17, faces a dozen charges, including animal cruelty, grand theft and burglary, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Cuffed at his ankles and wrists, and wearing a yellow jumpsuit, McClain stood before a judge via video conference on Thursday morning for his hearing at the Marion County Jail. Bail was set at $72,750. McClain turns 18 in April.

On Feb. 4, detectives arrested him and a 16-year-old alleged accomplice on charges of vandalizing their former school. According to the Sheriff’s Office reports, the teens admitted that, once inside the school, they emptied six fire extinguishers in various buildings, poured liquid from soda bottles on the floor and damaged locks and other items scattered throughout the school.

The damage was estimated at $450. Reports state that the boys also swiped 10 compound bows with arrows, valued at $1,650, from the school.

McClain also admitted firing an arrow into the head of a sheep penned on the campus, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Detectives said he then stabbed the sheep in the neck with a pitch fork and tried to smash its head with a rock.

While interviewing him about the alleged animal cruelty, a detective noted that McClain “found the entire incident funny” and “continued to laugh and make comments that were off-color.”

In that case, he faces multiple charges, including burglary, grand theft and animal cruelty. The 16-year-old was charged as a juvenile with burglary and criminal mischief.

Following that incident, school officials are hoping to add additional surveillance cameras, especially where 4-H programs have animals on campus.

Detectives said McClain also admitted committing burglaries in Summerfield.

They recovered things such as power and hand tools, cigarettes, matches, sunglasses and road signs the teen is believed to have stolen during the burglaries.

With the confession, detectives said they were able to close three burglary cases.